A civil society group has called on Pakatan Harapan (PH), which leads the federal government, to introduce legislation guaranteeing equal constituency development funds for all elected representatives.
Projek Sama said PH’s losses in the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections should serve as a reminder that institutionalising equal constituency funding would be in the coalition’s long-term political interest.
It said that without such legislation, PH MPs and state assemblymen would face significant challenges in serving their constituencies if the coalition were to become the opposition after the next general election under an Umno-PAS-led government.
Call for legislation at federal and state levels
In a statement, Projek Sama urged the federal government to table an equal constituency funding law when Parliament reconvenes in October.
It also called on all state governments to introduce similar legislation in their respective legislative assemblies to ensure equal treatment for all elected representatives.
The group commended the Perak and Kelantan state governments for already providing equal allocations to all assemblymen, although the practice has yet to be enshrined in law.
It urged both states to strengthen their democratic leadership by codifying equitable constituency funding into state legislation, saying this would establish a strong precedent for the rest of the country.
Restore funding access for two PKR MPs
Projek Sama also called on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to immediately restore constituency funding access for Subang MP Wong Chen and Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung.
The two PKR lawmakers were among those who attended the launch of Bersama, the new political party established by former PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli.
Wong and Lee were barred from accessing the MyKhas portal, which manages special constituency funding, in May.
Projek Sama also rejected Anwar’s argument that constituency funds could be channelled directly to the people without involving MPs.
The group questioned the position, noting that PH had specifically demanded equal constituency funding for MPs in its 2021 memorandum of understanding with the Ismail Sabri Yaakob government.
